Love Lost
by kora22
Summary: Mheetu finally learns what's been bugging Tora, and wants to do everything to help her. When she starts pushing herself away from him, he realizes it'll be hard to get to her... Especially when a new cub arrives in the pride.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Well, after a long wait, here's the next story! Hope you enjoy it!**

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><p><strong>Chapter One: Fear<strong>

Fear.

That is the one thing Tora was feeling right now, as she sat alone in the den, lost in her own thoughts... Not that it was anything different. Ever since she was kidnapped by Wildfire, she was always looking over her shoulder. There was no telling when that little fireball would show up again. Her friends told her that he was dead, but they all thought that after their first encounter with him as well...

Wildfire wasn't the only thing that Tora had found herself afraid of lately. Ever since being violently abused by Wildfire, she had been edgy even around some of her friends, more specifically the male ones. Including Mheetu. She'd flinch if Mheetu so much as move toward her. She hoped he hadn't noticed, not wanting to talk about the experience. Tora knew she had no reason to fear Mheetu, but she couldn't help but feel somewhat threatened. It was odd, and she wanted it to stop. However, there was one problem with him, and that was-

"Hey, cutie! What's up?"

"Gahhhh!" Tora leaped up and spun around, only to find Mheetu there. "Oh... It's you..."

"Yup!" Mheetu chimed. "So, you coming down to the water hole?"

"Um..." She hesitated, "Yeah... Sure, let's go..."

As Tora walked by Mheetu to leave the den, Mheetu stopped her.

"Hold on," he said, "I need to ask you because it's been bugging me... Are you alright? You've been very... Jumpy, lately."

_Shoot... _Tora thought. He asked... She _really _didn't want to bring it up.

"Uh... Yeah, I'm fine," she lied. "Just... Tired..."

"Well, if there's anything wrong, you know you can tell me, right?" Mheetu said, putting a paw on her shoulder, causing her to flinch slightly. He had noticed it for awhile now... Ever since she had recovered from being kidnapped by Wildfire.

"Wait..." Mheetu said, "Does it have anything to do with Wildfire? I've noticed how you act whenever I get near you...

Tora sighed. She knew she couldn't keep running from it.

"Look," she said, "I'm fine... Really. I just get a little nervous once in awhile, is that a problem?"

"Tora, you flinch every time I come near you," Mheetu explained. "You know I would never hurt you, right?"

"Yes... Now, can you just drop it so we can get to the water hole?" Her voice clearly showed she was getting irritated.

"Alright..." He said as he slowly walked by her. "Let's go."

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><p>"What are you doing around here, you little runt!?" A hyena snapped in the face of a young lion cub. "Didn't your mommy and daddy tell you not to bother a hyena clan?"<p>

The cub just glared into the eyes of the hyena, no fear present in his expression. His look was cold and serious.

"What are you gonna do, Kicheko?" The cub asked. "You can't hurt me, your entire clan will be slaughtered."

"Grrrrr..." Kicheko growled. "We have rules too, you little brat. Now, LEAVE!"

The cub smirked. "Heh, if you insist..." He quickly took a swipe at Kicheko's face with his claws, leaving three long gashes on his cheek. That's when the cub took off back to his pride.

Some of the other hyenas were about to chase him, but Kicheko stopped them.

"No..." He said. "We can't touch him. We'll report to his pride later what he did. We had an agreement with them and that brat is walking all over it. Go make sure the rest of the pups are alright... We know one isn't."

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><p>"Ha!" The cub laughed as he slowed down, approaching another cub. "I told you I'd do it, Tojo."<p>

"I didn't say you wouldn't... I tried to stop you, Malka," Tojo replied.

"Aw, who cares anyway?" Malka asked as he licked some blood off his paw. "That's one less hyena we'll have to worry about in the future."

"Still..." Tojo said. "They didn't do anything, except obey the treaty your parents made with them."

"Which is why it's so much fun to mess with them!" Malka exclaimed. "They can't do a damn thing to me."

"I don't know," Tojo said uneasily as the duo walked back to the pride. "It could come back and bite you... You're way too confident in yourself."

"Oh, pffft..." Malka scoffed, "I'll be fine. My parents hate those mutts anyway. Now, let's hurry and get back, I got a date tonight."

"Oh, with that girl you saw last night?" Tojo asked.

"Heh, yep. Guess she just can't get enough of my charm and charisma." Malka boasted.

Tojo rolled his eyes. "Yeah... Whatever you say."

As the two returned to the pride, they were met by Malka's father.

"Malka... Where were you?" His father asked. "Were you out bothering the hyenas again? You know the rules..."

"Of course not, Dad," Malka lied. "I wouldn't disobey your orders."

His father looked at him with an unamused expression. "Son, I may not like Kicheko, but a good king always holds true on his deals. You can't just go violating them. If I find out you're lying again, there will be punishment."

Malka just rolled his eyes. "Yeah, whatever, can I go now?"

His father sighed. "Very well, just stay out of trouble."

"Yeah, yeah," Malka said as he turned to Tojo. "Come on, Tojo."

Malka ran off, Tojo following close behind. He thought he was off the hook, as he always was... Of course, luck always has to run out at some point. As the two cubs ran off, Kicheko and two other hyenas were approaching Malka's father.

"Hey!" Kicheko yelled. "Didn't you ever teach that brat of yours any manners!?"

As much as he hated to see these hyenas, he knew that they most likely weren't there to cause trouble. "What did he do this time? Play a prank?"

"I wouldn't march all the way out here for a stupid prank!" The hyena shouted. "Your son killed one of the children in my clan! He thought because of our little deal that he can just come in and do whatever he pleases! If you don't do something about it, WE will!"

Just as he thought, Malka had been lying. "MALKAAA! GET BACK HERE NOW!"

Malka and Tojo stopped in their tracks as they heard the king's roar.

"Uh, oh..." Tojo said. "Looks like you're in trouble."

"Shut up, Tojo," Malka spat as he turned back around. "Come on."

The two walked back, seeing Kicheko standing with Malka's father as they got closer.

Malka spoke when they got close. "Dad, I ca-"

"Malkam I don't want to hear your excuses!" He yelled at his son. "You killed one of their pups? Why?"

Malka fell silent. Now he was in for it.

After receiving no response, his dad continued. "Malka, I said there would be punishment if you lied, and I wasn't lying."

"What are you gonna do?" Malka asked.

"I have a friend in another pride, who is also a king... If you can't learn any discipline from me, maybe you can learn it from him."

"So... Where is this place?" Malka asked. He knew there was no point in arguing. Once his father made up his mind, it was nearly impossible to convince him otherwise.

"The Pride Lands," his father answered. "I'll send someone tonight to let him know you'll be coming. I'll escort you there tomorrow."

Malka just sighed. "Fine..." He turned back to Tojo and started walking to the den.

"See?" Tojo said from behind him, "It came back and bit you,"

"Hey, Tojo," Malka said.

"What?"

"Shut up."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry... School has kept me so busy this semester, I've had hardly any time on here. Luckily, the semester is almost over, so updates will be much more frequent starting next month. That's all I have for now, you may continue.**

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><p><strong>Chapter Two: Simba's "Brother"<strong>

"Uuuugh..." Tojo groaned as he and Malka walked with Malka's dad. "Why did you drag me along anyway?"

"Look," Malka said, "I'm not going to this place on my own. I won't know anybody; having you gives me an advantage. Makes me look better."

"So... You're using me?" Tojo asked.

"Yep," Malka replied. "Besides, your mother said you were allowed to come if you wanted."

"But you forced me to c-"

"Shut up," Malka interrupted. "That's not the point."

Tojo just rolled his eyes and continued walking. If Malka wasn't his only friend, he wouldn't even hang out with him, but Tojo seemed to be one of the few things Malka at least cared about... even if it was just a little.

"So, dad," Malka said, "how long do I have to stay at this place?"

"Until you learn a little respect," his father said. "King Mufasa should be able to teach it to you. He's one of the greatest kings there's ever been."

"Yeah, whatever..." Malka said under his breath. _I'm gonna hate this place... Ugh, I can already feel it..._

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><p>It was now late in the afternoon. Malka, his father, and Tojo were now approaching the border of the Pride Lands. Not far off, they saw Mufasa standing at the border, awaiting their arrival.<p>

"There he is," Malka's father said. "Now, remember what I told you, son. You are to be on your best behavior for Mufasa, and if you're not... Well, you'll learn to be. That's all I'll say."

As the trio crossed the border, they were greeted by Mufasa.

"Ah, King Tabia, long time, no see," Mufasa said as he welcomed the king. He then looked down at the two cubs. "Oh, you have two?"

"Oh, no," Tabia said. "The one with the black tufts on his head and ears is my son. The other is his friend, Tojo, who came with him so it would be more comfortable. I hope it's not any trouble."

"Not at all," Mufasa smiled. "I can take them from here, I'm sure they'll be welcomed by the other cubs."

"Malka," his father said as he turned around. "Good luck."

With that, Tabia began walking back home.

"Well, we should go get you two acquainted with the other cubs," Mufasa said. "Malka, you and I will discuss your stay later tonight. Let's go."

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><p>"So, where was it your dad went exactly?" Nala asked Simba.<p>

"I'm not entirely sure," Simba replied. "He said something about a favor for an old friend, but he wasn't specific."

As all the cubs continued to talk among themselves, Malka and Tojo walked out of the tall grass, followed by Mufasa.

"Well, here they are," Mufasa said.

"Who are they, Dad?" Simba asked as he walked over to the two cubs.

"Simba, this is-"

"Prince Malka," Malka cut off Mufasa, "and this is my feeble friend, Tojo."

"Yes," Mufasa said. "I've been asked to watch over Malka for awhile."

"Looks like we'll be kinda like brothers for a bit, eh, Simba?" Malka smiled.

"Uh, yeah... I suppose so," Simba said questioningly.

"Well, Zazu said I needed to go deal with a pesky group of antelope today," Mufasa said "so I'll leave you kids be."

With that, Mufasa turned and left the water hole, leaving Malka and Tojo with the group.

"So, Malka," Simba said, "what pride do you li-"

"Okay, quit the friendly talk, doofus," Malka suddenly lashed out, "I'm not here to make friends, okay? I was forced to come here because my father thought it would be 'good for me.' Now as long as I'm here, I'm in charge, got it?"

Simba clenched his teeth. "Okay, I don't know who you think you are, but you can't just walk in here and put yourself in charge!"

"Yeah," Nala agreed, "I can already tell that you're nothing but a jerk."

"Oh, hey there," Malka said as he walked over to Nala and put a paw under her chin, "I can tell your feisty, how about you and I get together later, hmmm?"

"Hey!" Simba and Haiba said at the same time, "she's mine!" The two looked at each other for a moment before turning their attention back to Malka.

"Back off, creep!" Nala exclaimed as she moved back towards Simba.

"Heh, alright... But you don't know what you're missin'," Malka winked at her before examining the rest of the group. His eyes locked on two cubs in the back, they seemed to have not have noticed he was there, as they were sitting at the water's edge. It was Mheetu and Tora.

"Hey, you. The hot girl," Malka called out as he walked over to them.

"Excuse me?" Tora said as she and Mheetu turned around.

"What? Can't a pretty girl accept a compliment? In fact, you're much prettier than the Princess I just met over there," Malka picked up her paw and kissed it. Tora blushed under her fur. This caused Mheetu to let out a low growl.

"What?" Malka asked. "She yours? Alright, I'll back off..." As Malka turned around, he whispered one more thing quietly. "For now..."

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><p>"How can you even be near someone like him?" Tama asked Tojo while Malka was busy talking to Mheetu and Tora.<p>

"Look, sure he isn't the nicest guy," Tojo said, "but if I wasn't his friend, he'd be worse. trust me, I'm nothing like him."

"Still, someone constantly verbally abusing you and berating you? Just awful..." Tama sighed.

"Yeah, well, ya get used to it... Oh, here he comes," Tojo said, silencing himself.

"Well, Tojo," Malka said, "looks like it'll be good here."

He looked back at Tora.

"Real good."

"Look," Simba said, "if you just leave us all alone, then we won't have any problems. Alright?"

"How about I do what I want, and you quit telling me what to do? Alright?" Malka said calmly. "This is my home as much as it is yours now... Come on, Tojo. The king will be wanting to speak with me."

Simba growled as Malka and Tojo walked away. "I don't trust that slimeball... He'll cause an issue of some sort, you'll see."

"Well, at least Tojo is kinda sweet and cute," Nala said, "ya know, in a dorky kind of way."

As Malka made his way back to Pride Rock, he couldn't help but think about Tora. She was pretty. Definitely prettier than any cub in his pride. In fact, all of the girls in the Pride Lands were, at least the ones he saw at the water hole. However, there was something about Tora. She was cute, sure, but there was a sense of toughness about her... Even if something did seem off, and whatever it was showed some weakness in her, just what he needed to make her his.

Malka chuckled, "Heh... I think it's gonna be great here, Tojo... Just great."

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><p><strong>AN: Aaaaand... He's even more of a jerk... But Nala's right, at least Tojo is nice...**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Well, surprise! Two days in a row! I'm liking this... Hopefully you all do too... Enough of my talking, onto the chapter! Thanks for the reviews of the last chapter!**

**the-mysterious-other: Yeah, Tojo doesn't have the best of luck... Oh well, at least he has his personality!**

**snheetah: Yeah, my version of Malka has a much worse personality that his canon version, if he changes remains to be seen...**

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><p><strong>Chapter Three: Tora, Tora, Tora!<strong>

_Hey... Hey, wake up. Come on now, I know that you hear me..._

"Huh... Who is it?" Tora said groggily as she used a paw to rub her eyes. She could tell it was still dark out. Who the heck would be waking her up now? She blinked a couple times to allow her eyes to come into focus. When she could see clearly, she saw it was Malka who had woken her up.

"What the heck are you doing?" Tora whispered. "Why'd you wake me up?"

"I just wanted to talk to you," Malka said., "you know, since we didn't have much of a chance to talk earlier."

"In the middle of the night?" Tora asked.

"Hey, I like the night," Malka shrugged, "come on, let's take a walk."

She was hesitant. "But... I don't even know you..."

"Then come get to know me," he replied. "Look, I don't know why, but earlier today, I sensed some sort of fear in you, and I can assure you, I'm not going to harm you."

"I'm not sure..." Tora said.

"Come on," Malka said. "We'll take a nice walk, talk, and I'll return you safe and sound right in this spot."

Tora thought for a moment. She was still unsure, but she could sense the honesty in his voice.

"Alright... Fine," she agreed, "but if you try anything, I won't hesitate to kill you..."

Malka just grinned. "Sounds good to me."

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><p>The two cubs had made their down Pride Rock and were now out past the water hole, a little farther out than Tora would've liked to be at this time of night.<p>

"Shouldn't we turn back now?" Tora asked. "We're kinda far out..."

"Oh, we're fine. We've been having such a nice conversation... Besides, I'm not going to let anything happen to yo-"

"Ohhhh, boy!" a voice from the tall grass around them suddenly shouted. "Look what we have here boys, two unguarded LIVE lion cubs. It'll be a nice change from the usual carrion we have to eat."

The voice was odd... It was raspy, yet fast paced, like whoever it was had too much energy.

"Who are you!?" Malka yelled. "Come on, don't be cowards!"

"You heard 'em, boys!"

Malka and Tora soon discovered who it was that was watching them. A group of jackals walked out of the grass, surrounding the duo on all sides.

"You got quite the nerve, calling us cowards, kid..." One of the jackals growled. It was clearly the one that had been speaking before.

"You're... just a bunch of jackals?" Malka asked, cracking smile. "Heh... Ha ha ha! Woo! That's a good one. I was right, jackals are nothing but scavenging cowards!"

"Grrrr... Can we get 'em yet, Bweka?" one of the agitated dogs said.

"Just calm down, I need to scope out our dinner first..." Bweka said as he circled around the two. "Mmmm... You two look healthy... And healthy means tasty." He walked back to his spot in the circle of the others.

"Get them."

On Bweka's command, all of the jackals attacked.

"Tora get down!" Malka yelled as he turned around and batted two jackals away that had leaped at her. Due to his insulting of them, the jackals instinctively went for him first. Several of them sank their teeth into his flesh, causing him to yell out in pain. Bweka was keeping his eye on Tora.

"Would some of you idiots get over here and help me with this one before she gets away!?" Bweka shouted.

Two of the jackals biting Malka let go and jumped at Tora, biting her in the back, causing her to cry out in pain.

"Now for the kill!" Bweka exclaimed as he latched his jaws around Tora's neck.

"Get off me!" Malka yelled as he violently flung a jackal that was biting his paw off into the grass. There were still two on his back and one biting the back of his neck. He had to get them off quick so he could get to Tora. He reached back with a paw and ripped the jackal off the back of his neck, taking a piece of flesh with it, he winced at the stinging, but had to ignore it. He started whipping his back, trying to shake the last two off, but it wasn't working. Then he had an idea. Malka quickly dropped to his back, his full weight landing on top of the smaller dogs. They let go as they lost consciousness. Malka stood back up.

"You mutts are dead..." Malka growled as he charged over to Tora. He batted the two off her back, deeply wounding both with his claws. Then he grabbed Bweka by the back of the neck, causing the jackal to let go. He dropped Bweka to the ground.

"Well, it seems all your little friends are either dead or ran off like the cowards I said they were," Malka growled in Bweka's face.

"P-Please, don't kill me..." Bweka managed to shake out.

"Why?" Malka asked, "you were going to kill us."

"We were just hungry... Please, let me go... We won't come near here ever again!"

Malka was ready to kill the little rat, but he figured it's be better to show mercy in front of Tora.

"Fine..." Malka said as he backed away from Bweka. "Get out of here and don't come back. If I see you again, I will kill you."

Bweka just nodded, showing he understood before bolting off into the grass, leaving the two cubs to themselves. Malka walked over to Tora, who was panting heavily.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"You... You saved me..." She panted, some blood leaking out of the wound on her neck.

"Of course I did," he said, "why wouldn't- Mmf!" Malka was cut off by a kiss from Tora.

After a few seconds, Tora pulled away. "Thank you."

There was something about Malka that Tora liked...She wasn't sure what exactly. Maybe his bravery... Or his toughness... Whatever it was, she was attracted by it.

"Oh, Tora, Tora, Tora..." Malka said, "I would do anything for you."

The two cubs then met again for another kiss, this one lasting even longer than the first.

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><p><strong>AN: Oh my... Well... This can't be good, right? Hmmm... We'll have to see where this goes now, won't we?**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: And I'm back. Not sure how I did with this chapter, I'll just leave that up to you. I'm still trying to shake the rust off. Some of you think she's under that lioness's spell... But is she?**

**Anonymous13 B: Of course I had to allude to his series there. How could I not?**

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><p><strong>Chapter Four: Temper, Temper...<strong>

Tora woke up with a yawn. She was sore and her wounds still stung from her and Malka's encounter with a group of jackals in the middle of the night. Luckily, the bleeding was now stopped.

"Oww..." Tora groaned as she stood up and stretched out her body. She was still tired, but the sun was up, so there was no use in trying to go back to sleep. She looked around the den, but all the other cubs seemed to be gone. she must have slept pretty late.

"I guess I'll get down to the water hole then..." She yawned again as she slowly walked outside.

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><p>"Heheh! I'm tellin' ya Tojo, it was awesome!" Malka exclaimed as he walked ahead of his friend. "Those jackals will never show their ugly faces around here again... But that's beside the point. You should have seen Tora's reaction when I saved her... I must say she's a good kisser."<p>

"Okay... But isn't that other cub she was with yesterday her boyfriend?" Tojo asked. "Because it might be kinda hard for you to be with her if that'd the case."

"What, you mean that little runt?" Malka asked sarcastically. "I doubt he'll cause much of an issue."

"I'm just saying, as long as we're living here, shouldn't you at least _try _to get along with all of them instead of causing problems?" Tojo asked, trying to make Malka see his way, which he knew was almost impossible.

Malka turned around and patted Tojo on the head. "Oh, Tojo... I know you're all about getting along, but as long as I'm here, none of them are going to be bossing me around. If anything, they should be answering to me... But they all seem to follow Simba like little puppets. At any rate, maybe getting with Tora can be my way of getting into their little group."

"Or it will be the key to them hating you even more..." Tojo suggested.

"Tojo..." Malka sighed, "Shut up..."

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><p>Tora yawned as she walked up to her friends at the water hole. "Good morning guys."<p>

She stopped when she noticed they were all just staring at her.

"What is it?" She asked.

"Um... What happened to your throat?" Simba asked as he walked over to her and examined the wound. "You didn't have that yesterday..."

"Hey," Mheetu said. "I thought I felt you leave last night... But I was so tired I didn't think much of it. Where did you go? What happened?"

"Uh... It's nothing, don't worry about it. Just some stupid jackals when I went out for a walk," she replied. "I'm fine, they were taken care of."

"Why did you go out on your own anyway?" Mheetu asked. "You know that it gets dangerous out here at night.

"I... I wasn't alone," Tora said. "I wouldn't come out at night by myself."

"Then who did you go with?" Mheetu asked.

"That would have been me," Malka said as he and Tojo walked up to the group of cubs, "but don't worry, it was just a midnight stroll."

"Sure as hell looks like it was more than that..." Mheetu growled as he dug his claws into the ground. "It's your fault she got hurt..."

"Hey!" Malka yelled as he got in Mheetu's face. "If it wasn't for me, she'd probably be dead!"

"It's your fault she was in danger in the first place!" Mheetu argued.

"Yeah, well, I wouldn't say she was too angry with me after I saved her..." Malka grinned.

Tora was going to say something, but she was stopped by Mheetu.

"What the heck are you talking about?" Mheetu asked. "Why are you smiling?"

"Oh, nothing..." Malka said. "I'll just leave before you lose your obviously short temper. Come on, Tojo."

Malka and Tojo walked away, leaving Mheetu angry and the others wondering what that was all about.

"Who does he think he is?" Mheetu asked. "He's only been here a day and I've already had enough of him."

"Mheetu..." Tora said. "He really did save me, it wasn't his fault that I got hurt. I chose to go out there with him."

"What? Why?" Mheetu asked in surprise, "You've barely let me touch you lately, but you just decided to go off with some cub we just met yesterday for a walk in the middle of the night?"

"I... Well, yeah..." Tora answered. "But he just wanted to talk, and seemed so nice... Not like how he acted when he got here yesterday."

She could tell Mheetu was getting angrier, which was very unlike him. He was usually calm, but it was obvious that he hated Malka. Sure, he was arrogant, but she had to admit, he had a certain charm about him.

"You're _defending _ that jerk!?" Mheetu exclaimed. "Why!? Simba, would you tell her th-"

"What? Was that Kora calling me over there away from here?" Simba said, trying to avoid the situation. "Oh, I think it was, come on Nala, Haiba." He nudged the two away, leaving Mheetu and Tora alone.

"Mheetu, I think you need to calm down..." Tora said

"_You _don't tell me what to do!" Mheetu yelled.

Mheetu had never been this angry... Tora didn't know what to make of it; this wasn't like him at all.

"Mheetu... You're scaring me..." Tora said as she started to back up.

"What are you going to run off to Malka so he can protect you!?" He snarled.

Tora was shaking by this point. She was beginning to think all her fears she had were justified. Tora was about to make a run for it.

_Thud!_

She suddenly found herself on the ground. Mheetu had struck her, leaving two small scratches on her face. She stared at him, tears in her eyes as she stood up again.

She said one word to him, "Why?"

Then she was gone, running back toward the den.

Mheetu suddenly snapped out of his rage, as if he had realized what had just happened.

"Oh no..." He said quietly. "What did I do..."

He hit her, he knew how sensitive she had been lately, and he did it anyway...

_It's all Malka's fault... _ He thought to himself. Then he had a realization.

Mheetu smiled to himself.

_Malka needs to die._

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><p><strong>AN: Well... Seems Mheetu's anger got the better of him... ANd he doesn't even know about the kiss... Yeesh.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Well, I left you all off on a pretty sour note in that last chapter, didn't I? Well, time to see what comes of that. Mheetu was bound determined to kill Malka. This chapter is rather short, but I like how it turned out.**

**Greg M 94: Yes, Mheetu does seem quite murderous, doesn't he? But whether anything comes of it remains to be seen. I guess you'll have to read to see. We'll see if the lioness is behind it, but who knows, right?**

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><p><strong>Chapter Five: Tora's Choice<strong>

_Why?_

That was the only thing that Tora was thinking as she ran. Why had Mheetu done that? It was nothing like him back there. She can't imagine what it would have been like had she told him that she kissed Malka... But she didn't care about that now; in fact, she was _glad _that she had kissed Malka at this point. She just wanted to be done with Mheetu now.

_What a jerk! _Tora thought to herself as she ran, tears clouding her vision. _I hope he never speaks to me ag-_

_Whump!_

"Owww..." Tojo moaned as he lay flat on his stomach, Tora on his back. "Why does this stuff always happen to me...?"

"Whoa there, baby... What's the rush?" Malka asked as he helped Tora up. "Why are you crying? What are those scratches?"

"Mheetu hit me..." Tora sniffed. "He completely lost his temper... And that was without even telling him that we kissed last night."

Malka gritted his teeth as he started walking away, "I'll go talk to him... Sounds like he needs to learn a thing or two. Tora, stay here with Tojo, I'll be back."

Now it was just Tojo and Tora.

"Hey, Tora?" Tojo said.

"What?"

"I think you sprained my leg..."

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><p><em>I'm gonna kill him... <em>Mheetu thought as searched for Malka. _He'll regret coming here._

"Hey!" a voice yelled from behind Mheetu.

Mheetu quickly turned around to face the speaker. It was Malka.

"You think it's okay to hit your, girlfriend, huh?" Malka asked as he approached the irate cub. "Ya know, I'm a lot of things, but I would never hit my mate..."

"It's all your fault!" Mheetu seethed. "_You _dragged her out in the middle of the night! _You _put her in danger! _You-_

"Saved her," Malka interrupted. "Sorry, next time I'll let her die. Oh, and another thing... About her little thank you she gave me after saving her... She is a _really _good kisser."

That made Mheetu snap. He lunged at Malka, determined to kill him. Malka braced himself, planting his paws as Mheetu tackled him. This allowed Malka to easily take control of this fight, pinning Mheetu under him.

"Look," Malka growled, "I don't want to kill you, got it? Hell, I don't even want to hurt you, but it looks like you aren't going to leave me a choice. Now, I'm going to give you one chance. Back off and leave Tora alone. She doesn't deserve someone like you. She deserves someone, better; someone who won't hurt her... Someone like me."

"Shut up!" Mheetu shouted. He used all his power to flip Malka over, turning the tables. This took Malka by surprise, but he didn't have time to say a word before Mheetu had his claws pressed into the flesh on Malka's throat.

"I think you know what comes next..." Mheetu smiled. It was a smile full of hate.

"Mheetu, stop!" Tora yeleed as she walked up on the fight. "Get off him."

"Stay out of this, Tora!" Mheetu shouted. "This idiot hurt you, so I need to make sure he never does again!"

"No, he didn't, Mheetu..." She sighed, "but _you _did. Look, when Wildfire kidnapped me... I'll never forget about it. Even I knew there was no reason to be frightened of you, but I couldn't help it..." She placed a paw on her cheek, over the scratches, "but it looks like I was wrong." She started crying again.

Mheetu got off of Malka and walked over to her.

"And you know, after Malka saved me," she continued, "I felt so safe with him."

"Why can't you feel safe with me!?" Mheetu yelled, but that only got him a glare from Tora. "Oh..."

"Obviously you have some anger problems I never knew about... When I saw how you reacted with him earlier, there was no way I could tell you that I kissed him. How can I be honest with you if you're gonna blow up at me?" Tora was doing her best to maintain her composure. "I'll admit that maybe I shouldn't have gone with him in the first place... But you know what? At this point, I'm glad I did."

"Just get to the point..." Mheetu said, nearly in tears himself.

"We're done," she sobbed, "I want to be with Malka."

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><p><strong>AN: Welllll... Looks like that's the end of that relationship. Tora's chosen Malka over Mheetu... Now, one problem remains... What will the others think of this? It was obvious none of them exactly took a liking to Malka when he showed up, not that I blamed them obviously. Next chapter will be a bit longer. Until next time! Which will hopefully be tomorrow.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: And her I am with the final chapter of this story. Now that Tora has made up her mind, what will Mheetu do? What will the other cubs think?**

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><p><strong>Chapter Six: Being a Sister<strong>

Mheetu was infuriated, in fact he was beyond that. This time however, it wasn't at Malka or Tora. He was angry at himself. As he looked Tora in the eye, his look of anger went away and he broke down and started crying.**  
><strong>

"I'm s-sorry..."Mheetu sobbed. Now he was beginning to see the consequences of his behavior. Now he had lost Tora, the only cub he had ever loved. "I was a jerk... A huge idiot..."

This wasn't any easier on Tora. Her decision was final, but that didn't mean that she didn't care about Mheetu anymore. However, it was obvious that Mheetu had some sort of underlying anger issue, and that didn't make her feel safe. This was the best option in her opinion.

"And," Mheetu continued, "if Malka can make you happy... Then you should be with him... This whole mess was m-my fault. I'll never forgive myself for hurting you."

Tora couldn't think of anything else to say, so she just gave a nod and walked away. By this point, Malka was up and standing. He walked over to the crying cub.

"Well," Malka said, "looks like I don't need to hurt you after all. I'll admit, it's lucky for me that she stepped in when she did, but make no mistake..." Malka pushed his face close. "If you mess with me - or Tora - again, it'll be the last thing you do, got it?"

Mheetu just nodded, suppressing his sobs.

As Malka was leaving, he said one last thing, "Oh, and I recommend you suck it up and move on. You screwed up, get over it."

Then Mheetu was alone.

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><p>As Tora arrived back at the den, she was still crying. This easily captured the attention of her friends.<p>

"Tora, what's wrong?" Kora asked. "Are you okay?"

Before she could give an answer, Malka and Tojo walked in behind her... Well, Tojo was limping.

"Don't worry," Malka said, "it's all taken care of."

"What did you do?" Simba asked, immediately suspicious of the newest member of the Pride Lands.

"Hey, I didn't do anything," Malka insisted, "but you may wanna go check on that little brat, Mheetu, I think his name is. Last I saw he was bawling his eyes out like a newborn cub."

"What'd you do to him!?" Nala yelled, worried for her brother.

"Yeesh, you all like jumping to conclusions, don't you?" He laughed. "Look, he's just crying because Tora dumped him and chose me instead."

"What?" Nala asked, turning to Tora. "You broke Mheetu's heart for this jerk?"

"Hey!" Tora yelled, pointing a claw at the cuts on her face. "See these? _Your brother _did this. It was his fault, not mine. Malka has done nothing but help me!"

Nala didn't have time for this. She had to go make sure her brother was okay.

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><p>"I'm such an idiot..." Mheetu sighed as he sat alone, still in the same spot Tora left him. "What the heck was wrong with me? I never lose my temper like that..." As he continued moping, he saw someone walk into his clearing. It was Nala.<p>

"Mheetu, are you alright?" She asked her broken brother. "I heard what happened... But why?"

"I-I don't know," he sniffed, "I just... Lost my cool. Now I'm alone and that Malka jerk is with Tora..."

"It'll be okay," Nala assured him, putting a paw on his shoulder. "She'll see how much of an idiot he is... Maybe you'll have another chance with her."

"No," he replied. "She doesn't deserve me... I'm horrible."

"Mheetu, don't say that about yourself," Nala told him. "I saw how much you cared about her, but things happen and you have to keep going. Don't keep beating yourself over it or you'll just feel worse and worse."

"I hurt her, Nala," he said. "How am I supposed to get over that?"

"You will," Nala answered. "It'll take time, but you will... Now come on, you look like you need some rest. Let's get back to Pride Rock."

Mheetu stood up and started back with him, depression holding tightly onto his mind and heart.

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><p>Meanwhile in the jungle...<p>

"Okay, smart guy... Figure out a way for us to get out of this thing yet?" Vitani said, clearly not happy with she and Kulaani's current situation. Some crazy lioness had snatched them and taken them to the jungle.

"Hey, I've never seen something like this," Kulaani said as he put a paw up against the magical dome that trapped the duo. "I mean, I've seen some magic like this, but that lioness is something else..."

"Aww... You're too kind," she said as she appeared in a bright flash, "but flattery will get you nowhere, cub."

"Why don't you just tell us what you want?" Vitani asked. "Wouldn't that make things much easier?"

"Now, why would I do that?" the lioness asked. "However, if you insist, I'll give you a hint... Pride Rock is what I want, but I could care less about being queen of some over-sized boulder ... No, what I'm after is much more... Magical. Pride Rock sits over an ancient magical ruin. Thousands of years ago, a shaman came along and saw how powerful the magic surrounding it was. He saw the _danger _of it... So he used his own magic to sink the ruins into the ground, raising Pride Rock in it's place, as a seal."

She got blank stares from both cubs.

She sighed, "In fewer words... Pride Rock is acting as a seal to all that magic, and if I can unlock it... Oh, I've told you two too much already. For any of this to mean anything you two and you're bratty friends will need to die first."

"So what, are you going to kill us now?" Kulaani asked.

"Oh don't worry... Not yet," she said. She reached her paws through the magical shield housing the cubs and placed them on their heads.

"Now... _Sweet dreams._"

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><p><strong>AN: And that's that for this story... Mheetu is depressed and how about the end? Got some insight as to what that lioness wants, but she didn't give the full story... Well, I'll see you all with the next story!**


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